Nyan Nyan
by Roringugaru
Summary: Her life has never been easy but Emmi has had some good experiences along with the bad...now what awaits her after one ordeal has passed. sequel of Caged inside; silent throughout RXR please


**Nyan Nyan**

I check my watch for the thousandth time as I wait for my friends to show up. I can feel a sense of irritation welling up within me as I wait for the three of them.

_I would expect this from Ed and Eddy but why the hell is Edd late? He's usually on time. You would think high schoolers would know how to show up for an appointment on time by now…_

"Yo Stone Face!" I turn to see two of the three of my friends making their way down the side walk. Eddy and Ed stop in front of me as they catch their breath from running all the way here. With an uninterested mask on I check my watch again,

"Well look at that only 20 minutes late…you guys do realize that you set this little get together up right? I was just going along with the plans and yet I'm the first one…"

"Stuff it stone face! Not all of us have absolutely nothing to do! My folks wouldn't let me out of the house until I finished my homework!"

"Y-yeah Emmi and I had to watch Sarah until Jimmy came over."

"Well lumpy I could understand your excuse but you're not a child Eddy…why would your parents force you to finish right then and there?"

"I dunno…something about amounting to greatness or something." I can't help but smile somewhat at his lack of enthusiasm for school and academics. " Speaking of homework, where's sock head?"

"No idea I thought he would have shown up with you two."

"Crap, Crap, crap…I'm LAAAAATTTEEE!" _speak of the devil…_ Eddy and Ed look over their shoulders while I look in between them; Double D is making his way at a break neck speed and I can't help but think it's a new record for him. although he doesn't really show any signs of stopping; Eddy and Ed move out of his way giving him a straight shot towards me. with no time to move Double d slams into me sending us both to the ground. "Owww…" Double D picks himself up slightly rubbing his head.

_Well…that was…unexpected…thanks to him now my heart is going a mile a minute…_

"Er…" I'm not too sure what to say in this situation since it was an accident but I'm sure from above it looks like Double D is attacking me. I can hear Eddy snickering as I try to sit and figure out what to do. "Double D…um…"

"Yes Emmi?" my eyes meet with his and my heart thumps loudly; I look away feeling my cheeks getting hot, "Ah oh my…do you have a fever?" he places a hand on my forehead making me tense.

"No I don't…have a fever…"

"But you feel warm…are you sure?"

"I said I'm fine…" Now Ed is laughing along with Eddy at our exchange and I look down.

"What's so funny you two?"

"Oh I'm sorry Sock head did you want us to leave you alone with your sweet heart? You two seem to be quite cozy there on the ground in your own little world." Eddy mocks. I watch the reactions on Double D's face as he starts to turn red; then turn to me,

"I-I'm sorry Emmi! That was very inconsiderate of me and I haven't even moved!"

_him being in a panic does nooot make this any less embarrassing…_

"it's fine…but my legs are starting to fall asleep…"I say calmly.

"S-sorry, SORRY!" he jumps up letting me get up. I can't help but smile slightly at his reaction as I dust myself off.

"I'm glad you and Emmi are together; that means our group can stay together now!" Ed says pumping his fists in the air. Officially it's been about a month or two since Double D and I started dating; and quite honestly we're taking it at our own pace. Although it's still a bit unusual to hear other people say it like that I'm glad we aren't such a love sick couple. Typically you would see couples be all over each other in public exchanging saliva every five seconds and practically doing it on the corner but even though our relationship has changed we're trying to take things one step at a time. Neither him nor I like to rush into things so it's fine. although there are times when we think no one is watching we'll try to sneak a kiss or two but even then we both end up shy afterwards.

"Can you please give it a rest with that Ed…every time we get together you say that…" Double D says hiding his face with a hand.

"But it's true! If it was some other girl we would have to get used to her and everything…!" he sticks his tongue out at the thought,

"Yeah or worse, we wouldn't liker her or end up with another situation like Marie." Eddy says poking fun again at Double D expense,

"Can we not bring that up again we're passed that whole incident thank you."

"Don't let them get to you Eddy's just trying to get you riled up…" I say, "So what first?"

"How about the arcade?" Eddy suggests

"Comics for Ed!"

"I heard there's a new exhibit at the Peach Creek Museum of Natural History."

"The only one who wants to study on weekends is you Sock head." Eddy rubs his cap into Double D head.

"You and I can go later on our own…" I say as he straightens his hat, "Why don't we get something to eat first and talk about where to go while we eat?"

"Ok."

"that's works for me."

"Yah food for Ed!" Ed Races off in front of our group most likely heading for our favorite eatery. Eddy tries to catch up with him trying to slow him down leaving Edd and me behind. I sigh at the sight.

"Children…children…" I'm about to race off after them when I feel Double D lace his fingers with mine. When I look up his cheeks are slightly red "Double D?"

"If you don't mind…just until we reach the restaurant…?" I can't help but smile slightly at the color spreading over his cheeks; it's something so simple but even then it make him really shy. I slightly tighten my grip on his hand and pull him along so we can catch up with the others.

…

"Man it's packed here!" Eddy grumbles with his hands in his pockets and slouching.

"Well it is the weekend; the mall was bound to have some people in it…" Double D says.

"Comics for Ed…" he hangs his head in defeat at the sight of how crowded the mall is.

_one track mind as usual…_

"You gonna be ok Stone face? You don't really like crowds right?" Eddy asks.

"not every crowd bothers me…it's not too crowded I should be fine."

"Are you sure Emmi?" Double D asks.

"Yeah…this place isn't small so there's enough breathing room." we head to different various stores together before we decide to split up and go to our own stores. Eddy decided to go to the food court to try and pick up a girl and two; right about now he should be failing that. Ed went off the comic book store with a big silly grin on his face. Double D and I go off and head to the book store first. Edd looks at research materials that he could possibly use later; I try to distract myself by looking at some art books. Some of the books I look at have famous artists while others are of people from today and more modern art. I always say it's just a hobby but I sometimes hope to get one of my works published officially. I'm not sure if I can make it into a primary career but I would love to do small jobs on the side. After looking for a while I find Double D and let him know I'm going to buy something to drink; he offers to go with me but I tell him he can keep looking. Judging from the fact that he was reading the same book as before I went off on my own I can tell he's found a book he really likes. I head off and get a smoothie from a juice bar and start to head back when two guys stop me.

"Hey there." I don't answer only calmly sip on my drink. "We couldn't help but notice that you were all alone. Want to come hang with us?" they're obviously no good just looking at how they dress so I walk by them not giving them the time of day. "H-hey!" he suddenly grabs my arm "I'm trying to invite you to hang out with two amazing guys; the least you could do is answer me."

"Sorry but I have an amazing guy waiting for me back at the book store; I don't have time for you two right now…"

"Hey if he's hangin' out at the book store he can't be that great." I say nothing but my grip around my drink starts to tighten as I look back at the two who just insulted Double D.

"Emmi?!" Double D comes rushing up out of breath. "H-hey what's going on?"

"Pfft is this the guy you were going back too? What a wuss!" the two of them laugh; my lips press together tightly yet somehow I keep my composure,

"Double D?"

"Um…yes?" I hold my drink up

"Hold this for me would you." He's Confused at my request but he still comes up and takes it for me. I gesture for him to stand back by waving my hand and he suddenly seems to understand what's about to happen.

"Hey man if she's your girl why don't you do something to take her from us?"

"Ah well…I would but you see there are some situations that she can handle on her own."

"Hah hah! Man he really is a wuss!"

"No not really…" I say quietly.

"Huh?" I turn and ram a fist into the one holding me, most likely breaking his nose. He topples backwards and lands on his back; I cross my arms still uninterested in the two,

"He just knows me well enough to know I can take care of the two of you on my own… that and he knows I'm a black belt in judo…" I turn a cold gaze to the other guy standing there looking at his friend on the floor, "Hey…" he tenses as I call to him, "Shouldn't you go and make sure he's ok?" he backs away a step or two before running over to his friend. I turn back to double D feeling better now that they're gone. "Sorry about that."

"No problem, but was it really necessary for you to punch him like that?" he hands me my smoothie and I take a sip,

"He said something that annoyed me…" I say before walking,

"What did he say?" I smile gently at him,

"Don't worry about it." I take his hand in mine causing him to twitch a bit,

"E-Emmi…!" I say nothing as I look for another place we can go to, "…It was about me wasn't it?"

"Now what would give you that idea…?" I don't look him in the eye as I let my vision wander. He stops walking pulling on my arm "Edd?" he tightens his grip on my hand before pulling me along.

_What is he doing?_

He pulls me behind a pillar where no one can see us,

"Edd?" he remains silent as he presses his lips to mine gently. It's so soft I almost don't register it. "Um…"

"Shh." He kisses me again.

"You're being unusually bold…" I say after he pulls away.

"Um…well…" his cheeks are slightly tinted pink, "I mean…you don't usually react like that if it has to do with yourself so I just assumed that they must have mentioned something about me."

_he hit the nail on the head with that one…he's the only one that can see through my facades and my words…_

"Am I correct? Hey your cheeks have turned red again." I pull on his collar bringing his face close to mine, "Ah! E-Emmi?"

"Stop talking…"I say in a monotone voice but I'm sure he can see my red face at this range. Still holding onto his collar I lean my head on his shoulder to hide my face; now I'm the one being bold. "…Is it wrong that I don't like it when people talk bad about my friends in general…" I'm only saying it to hide my true intentions but that just earns me a pet on the head.

"No it's not."

"ok then…stop talking about it…"

"ok."

"Ahem…!" my body tenses at the sound of someone familiar clearing their throat, "Um not to ruin your touching moment but are you two done?" Eddy says teasingly. I push Double d away from me and don't even react to his comment.

"Eddy…!" Double D on the other hand can't help but say something. Ed is standing near by reading a newly purchased comic with a big grin on his face. While Eddy continues to tease Double D I head over to Ed unnoticed.

"What are you reading?"

…

After our day of fun Eddy and Ed head home before Double D and I do so we head over to the Museum that he wanted to go to. we finished just in time before closing and are now on our way home.

"A lot of the exhibits were quite interesting; the one on the civil war was actually quite interesting."

"Mh-hm…" I silently listen to him as he rambles on about the exhibits.

"Which one did you find the most interesting?"

"the art…" I say half joking.

"You were only interested in the paintings and pottery weren't you?"

"Well history isn't my best subject; hey speaking of history we have a paper due soon. I finished writing on it but would you mind looking at it for me?"

"I don't mind although you usually do just fine on papers like that." My phone suddenly goes off and I pull it out of my pocket.

"Your father?"

"No my mother…apparently she doesn't want me at home right now…her fiancé is there and he doesn't like kids."

"I'm confused…if he knew you lived with your mother why would he…?" I let out a sigh, "They'll eventually get their own home…according to her. she'll pay for the bills here and everything but I'll be on my own once they're married."

"What?! But that's- that doesn't make any sense! You're her child right; shouldn't she stay or something? why can't he move in with her?"

"I've stopped trying to make sense of her a long time ago…anyway… she's made it clear that I'm of no importance to her in the slightest…I just happened by chance." It's quiet for a few moments before I pull out my cell, "wonder if Sarah would mind if I spent the night…maybe Nazz."

"We have a guest room at my place; I'm sure if I ask my parents they won't mind." I stop walking looking at him slightly surprised.

"…Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure." He pulls out his phone and starts making arrangements as we walk back home. His face suddenly turns red, "Y-yes mother…she is but that's not why I'm- you don't have to do that! ...Mother…we're not ready for that yet…please stop making rash assumptions…NO! I'm not going to sneak into her room!"

_Does she think there is an ulterior motive to this…?_ I have to turn my face away so he doesn't see me laughing.

"Goodbye Mother…" he hangs up the phone most likely with a headache now. "Well you can come over…"

"I hope your not expecting anything to happen tonight…" I poke at him.

"Not you too…"

we reach Double D's home by early nightfall and when I step into the house something smells good; it's so appetizing that my stomach lightly growls. As I take my shoes off I notice a middle aged man sitting in the living room. He seems to have Edd's hair color and wears glasses similar to the ones I've seen Edd wear when reading or doing homework. Double D's father seems to be looking at a news paper or something.

"I'm home." Double D calls out as he enters the room and the middle aged man looks up smiling with happy green eyes.

"Ah there you are; your mother just about has dinner finished." He notices me as I stand behind Double D. he's always talked about his parents but I've never actually met them and I feel that fact set in as nervousness. I bite my lower lip in order to calm myself down but that doesn't really do much for me. "Is this her?"

"Yes, this is Emmi…my um…" Double D can't seem to get the word out,

"…Girlfriend…" I say for him and step forward. "Nice to meet you sir." He holds a handshake out to me smiling brightly,

"Please call me Adam." I take the offered hand and shake it, "You're a lot prettier than my son described before."

"Father…!"

"What? She is." Double D hides his face with his hands.

"What's with all the commotion?" a rather tall woman comes in through an opening leading to a kitchen. Her eyes are the same color as her son's and she seems to be a very strong woman just from looking at her. she wears a thick pair of glasses that seem to make her look cute. When she sees me she immediately lights up.

"Oh you must be Emmi! Welcome!" she walks up to me and clasps my hands in hers, "We didn't get the chance to meet Edd's last sweetheart; this is so exciting! I'm Catherine; but you can call me Cathy for short."

"Shouldn't you help Emmi Edd?"

"She's your wife you do something…" I smile at Cathy.

"Nice to meet you Ma'am."

"Oh please there's no need for that; you can just call me Cathy."

"Ok then…Cathy. Something smells good; what are you making?"

"Oh nothing special just some pasta alfredo and chicken."

"Sounds good; I can't wait to try it."

"You've never had pasta Alfredo before?"

"No ma'am I can't say I have…" she suddenly pulls me into the kitchen.

"Well that wont do; you must try it."

"M-mother please don't be so overbearing."

"It's fine Edd; I actually don't mind." I smile at him. "Actually Cathy is there anything I can help with? I've never actually cooked anything before so I'd like it if I could help with something."

"Oh of course, but what have you been doing for food if you can't cook?"

as we talk back and forth I have a lot of fun helping Cathy in the kitchen. For the first time in my life it feels like I actually have a mother and we're doing something together or rather it's the closest thing to that sort of experience. I watch carefully as Cathy shows me how to cut, chop, and even cook things on the stove and in the oven. Every so often she lets me try and I pick up on the methods fast. Along with the pasta and chicken we make a salad as a side dish which is fairly easy to make. It so much fun it feels as though time goes by too fast. After the food is done we take the dishes out into the dining room; Double D and his father finish setting out the plates and utensils. As we eat there's a lot of small talk that I didn't even know about when you have family like this.

_I envy Double D…but I'm glad he's been able to grow up in such a warm home… _

After eating we head into the living room; from what it looks like they don't turn on the television out of habit. They focus more on being a close family than anything else.

"Emmi what is it you want to be when you get out of school?" Cathy asks coming from the kitchen with a tray full of cups full of something. she passes them around and in my cup is hot chocolate.

"well I'm not entirely too sure…" I answer, "I mean I do art and things like that but…"

"So you want to be an artist?" Adam asks

"…I don't think my art is good enough for professional occupation but I'd maybe like to do small jobs like paint a mural for a café or something like that…"

"that sounds nice but before you know it time is going to fly by and you'll be in college."

"Mother you can't put pressure on her like that…" I take a sip of hot chocolate; there's a hint of mint that remains.

"Edd you should be helping her think about it too dear; isn't that what your supposed to do as her boyfriend. Besides you already found what you want to do didn't you. You were talking about it just the other day."

"Mom…"

"Now Cathy there's no need to be so pushy about it; the boy is only a sophomore he may change his mind during that time."

"What are you aiming for anyway Double D?" I ask calmly taking another sip of my hot chocolate but slightly laughing on the inside at how red he's getting from embarrassment.

"oh…um…a social worker of some sort…I haven't really worked out the details at this point yet but I definitely want to go into that field." He fiddles with his hat as he avoids looking me in the eyes. "I'm still doing research…" I close my eyes,

"I can see you doing that…"

"So Emmi you said you make art; what kinds exactly."

"Oh…um…" it's the first time that a parent has actually taken an interest in my art or what I like for that matter so I don't really know how to answer that question. "Well…"

"Here these are some of her pieces." Double D pulls out his phone and starts showing them pictures that he's taken of my works.

"Oh my…!"

"These are wonderful." I get up and look over to see what he's showing; as he slides the pictures on the screen one takes it's place and it's very familiar. It's crumpled and slightly smeared due to the fact the paint was still wet but it's definitely the same picture I had started painting of Edd and me, the memory that I had tried to forget when he was so angry that day.

"T-That one…was an incomplete work…I never got to finish it…" I say.

"It still looks wonderful." Cathy says.

"It's remarkable that you're so skilled." Adam comments. "You really have a lot of talent Emmi." Their words seem to warm my heart as they smile at me.

_it's so strange…they're not even my own parents and yet…even though they just met me they've taken more interest in me than my parents ever did in my entire life. even my own father never took an interest in anything I did…he may have cared but he was never there…these two in just one evening have shown me more love and affection than I've ever gotten in my entire life. _

"Emmi what's wrong?" I suddenly realize I'm crying and I wipe the tears away.

"Ah…heh…no it's nothing…just…Thank you…"

…

it's the middle of the week and classes are in full swing with math being in session at the moment. I'm called on to answer a question when the bell rings. I pack up my things and head for the door.

"Emmi!" someone calls out to me and it's someone I wasn't really expecting,

"Marie…what are you doing here?" I'm more curious about her presence but she shies away as if I'm offended by her presence. "Sorry I didn't mean it the way it sounded; you don't have to be so scared of me."

"oh um…" I can't help but think she may still feel awkward around me after the whole thing that happened a few months ago.

"What is it? did you need me for something?"

"Actually…I need you to follow me for a moment."

"What's going on?" she takes my hand and pulls me behind her, "H-hey Marie…!"

"I promise I will explain but I we need to hurry or he'll start crying."

"I'm sorry; did you just say HE?" _ok I know Kevin doesn't cry so what is she up to now?_

…

I still can't believe that I took this little guy off of Maries hands but I couldn't help it. somehow she showed me his face and the next minute I was agreeing to taking him off her hands. I head out back to the hiding spot that we left him at and make sure no one is following me. I felt bad for coming up with an excuse for why I couldn't walk home with Double D today all of a sudden but I don't think he really bought it. I take a minute to locate where we left the little guy and find a little leash wrapped around a pole moving and twitching.

"Hey…what are you doing over there?" I ask the leash moving around in the shadows.

"Emmi?"

"?!" my whole body tenses as I hear the familiar voice. I turn to see Edd looking at me questioningly,

"Ah…hey Double D…" I smile awkwardly.

"What are you doing? I thought you said you had to go home right a way."

"Well…technically I do but um…I had to get him first." There was no point in lying any more,

"Him? what are you…"

_**Nyan Nyan!**_A kitten suddenly comes from the shadows playing with a small little ball of yarn that Marie left for him. he runs into my shoe and suddenly starts to attack it instead.

"A cat…?" He asks.

"Uh-huh…" leaning down I untie the leash from around his neck and pick up the tiny feline. He's so small he can practically fit into the palm of my hand.

"Why do you have a cat Emmi?"

"It's a bit of a story…" I say using a finger to pet the kitten behind his ear.

_**Nyan…purr**_

"Is this why you lied to me?" the sentence makes me flinch and I have no choice but to look an annoyed yet slightly hurt double D in the eyes.

"I…didn't want to say anything because…Marie asked me to look after him."

"Marie? Why?"

"She has a surprising soft spot for animals…but she asked everyone she knew to take him in but they couldn't and her place doesn't allow pets. I was actually the last person she could ask and my place allows pets so…"

"Why didn't she just ask Kevin…?"

"She did and he agreed…until he found out he was allergic."

"Oh…Why didn't she ask me?"

"I…think she might have considered it but considering your past with her…I think she wanted to avoid making it uncomfortable with you… I think she still feels guilty about what happened."

"…Ah…I see she was being considerate…" he suddenly looks at me again a bit annoyed and I jump slightly.

"I didn't want to lie but…I didn't know how to bring up the fact that Marie asked me…so I didn't want to make it awkward…sorry." Edd sighs before walking over to me, he places a hand on my shoulder and plants a kiss on my cheek. I can feel my cheeks blush slightly, "Er…"

"Don't hide things from me…even if they are so simple and minute like this."

"Sorry…"

"Well that's a relief I thought it was something more serious." He smiles and inspects the feline, "So did Marie name him?"

"No she didn't want to get too attached so I still have to some up with one. Ah…!" the kitten nips at my finger that was petting him before taking it in his paws and licking it. Double D laughs,

"It seems that he really likes you."

"I guess…"

"heh…he's cute too."

"Yeah but he's really noisy."

_**Nyan Nyan!**_ The kitten calls out as if to prove my point.

"Come on lets take him home; we can figure out a name for him after wards." I hold out the kitten to Double D since he seems to be fond of him,

"Do you want to hold him for a bit?"

"if you don't mind, sure." Double D carefully reaches out a hand to the kitten when suddenly,

_**Hiss! **_The kitten suddenly claws at Double D's hand,

"Ow…!" he cringes at the pain, "Why did you do that? That wasn't very nice."

"Are you ok?"

_**Nyan! Hiss!**_ I raise the kitten to meet me eye to eye,

"No…bad Kitty! You don't do that to people." I say firmly; the kitten's ears go back and it's eyes go big just like how it got me to say yes to taking him in but this time it doesn't work on me, "NO…bad kitty…"

_**NyAn…**_

"It could be that he just didn't want me to hold him Emmi."

"That still doesn't make it ok…"

"Well anyway lets take him home."

We stop at my place to take care of the kitten and the first thing he does is explore the living room. Still making a bunch of noise he easily gets into things he's not supposed to. since I'm busy trying to find him something to eat Double D keeps an eye on him. however every time he tries to keep the kitten out of trouble it scratches him and hisses at him angrily. That prompts me to scold the cat again; however even though I do it seems to be a repeating cycle. Finally I manage to find some milk in the fridge and give it to the kitten. With him eating and preoccupied with it we're given a moment of peace. I take the time to tend to Double D's wounds.

"Here let me see." I dab a cotton swab in some disinfectant and take one of his hands.

"I'm starting to think that cat doesn't like me…"

"wonder why it's not like you did anything to him." I dab another cut,

"I'm just as lost as you are about it…ow…"

"Sorry." I place band-aids on the cuts and his hands look as though he's cut himself with a knife too many times. "Killer…"

"Excuse me?" he asks,

"Killer…seems like a good name for such a violent cat."

"is that what you plan on naming him?"

"Do you have a better name?"

"Well killer would probably work if it was a dog maybe but it doesn't really seem to fit a cat…"

"Ok then…what do you think he should be named?"

"Hmm…well he makes a lot of noise and he likes to get into a lot of trouble with things he shouldn't…including me…how about Rascal?"

"Rascal…?" I think for a moment. "Yeah I can see that being his name…I guess it's better than Killer." Something jumps onto the couch we're sitting on and the kitten now named Rascal makes his way into my lap.

_**Nyan Nyan! **_He turns over onto his back wanting me to pet his belly. I can't help but pet his slightly pudgy tummy causing him to purr.

"You're a real glutton for attention aren't you?" I pick up Rascal and place him on my shoulder. Using his claws he starts climbing all over my shirt meowing as he does so. Soon though I can't take the claws and I set him on the ground before pulling out a mouse toy that Marie gave me to use on him. "Go play…" Rascal watches as the toy goes flying in the air before chasing after it.

"I'm kind of surprised at you though Emmi." Double D says,

"Why?"

"You act like you want nothing to do with him really but you seem to like Rascal…do you like animals?" the observation makes me think for a long time,

"I dunno…I've never really thought about it… that seems to be my answer lately doesn't it?" I give a self -deprecating smile. "Just like I haven't thought about what I want to do with the rest of my life…"

"Emmi…" I turn my gaze to him,

"Can I ask you something?" he nods, "What made you choose going into social work? I mean I always thought you would have ended up in a different field like biology or something…I mean you're smart enough for it…I mean it's not that I don't agree with your decision and I'll support whatever you choose to do…I just…" it's quiet for a long time before he says anything,

"You did…"

"I don't get it…"

"I'm the only person you can actually talk to about your problems…I'm the only person you can talk to and be your real self around…more so than around the others…there's other people out there that are like that; they can only connect and communicate with certain people. There's others out there that have other social problems some can't communicate, some can't process change well and others just completely shut down…like you there are so many people out there who can't seem to trust the world for what it really is because of all the pain and hurt and unfortunate incidents that have happened to you…if I can make a difference in showing you alone on a larger scale what kind of impact could that do for others? I guess you sparked a new kind of passion in me…"

_passion…do I even know the meaning of that word? I've always drawn or painted my feelings and scenes or something and I want to carry on with my art I guess I'm passionate about it…but…_

"What do you think I could do for a living Double D…aside from art…"

"Honestly…I don't think I could answer that one for you Emmi. Finding out what you want to do for a living is something that everyone has to find out on your own…even Eddy and Ed (when ever they decide to take school seriously) will have to as well." For a while the only sound that can be heard is the light jingle of Rascal's toy. "I'm sorry I know that's not what you want to hear."

"No it's ok…I like your honesty…" I lean over and rest my head on his shoulder, "I guess I'll have to figure out what I want to do…" his body seems to tense a bit. "Sorry." I get off noticing that he's getting nervous when he grabs my arm and pulls me close. With my head on his chest I can feel his heart thumping wildly in turn it causes my heart to race. My cheeks feel hot as I listen to his heartbeat. His arms around me are surprisingly strong and I take a chance to look up at him. when our eyes meet if feels as though my heart is about to stop. He comes closer his long bangs tickling my face before I feel his lips on mine. this kiss feel different from all the others. the previous ones held a timidity and nervousness that was double d but unlike the others this one feels strong and fierce like all the nervousness is gone. I have to take a deep breath from the sheer force of it and he forces his tongue into my mouth laying me down on the sofa.

"Edd…" I breathe out his name as I weakly try to fight against him. he bites my earlobe before I feel his hot breath on my entire ear. He lifts himself up to get a better look at me; Double D's eyes are filled with passion and his cheeks are slightly flushed as well. He leans in to kiss me again when he suddenly freezes, "Edd?"

"...Ow…"

"Did I do something?"

"No…not you…" he says weakly

_**Hiss! **_I look behind him and see Rascal biting and scratching at his ankle.

"Rascal…!"

"He…really seems to have a personal vendetta against me…"

…

A few weeks later I've started living on my own in the apartment. Since my mom got married she's been true to her word and moved out of the house. Ever since then I haven't heard any word from her. I honestly don't mind since she never had an interest in me so I didn't in her. Rascal has been keeping me busy though getting into things that he doesn't belong in. he's usually a good little kitty but he tends to act up when the guys come over. Especially with double D; I'm not sure what his problem is with my boyfriend but he doesn't seem to want to warm up to him any time soon. I've got him trained to listen to me when I give him a command but I can't seem to break him out of that bad habit. The guys are over again today and now Ed and Eddy are trying to keep Rascal from coming at Double D.

"Ow get him off!"

"He wont stop biting me!"

"Ow! Eddy that's my hair; I'm not a cat!"

"Ouch! Hey Emmi your cat needs to be declawed!" Eddy shouts from the living room. I come from the kitchen to find them in a heap of tangled limbs while Rascal is on Double D's head biting and clawing.

"Rascal!" the kitten with a bit of Hair in his mouth looks up at me with his ears folded back. "What do you think you're doing?"

_**Nyan…**_

"Off…" he jumps off of Double D and walks over to me his tail between his legs. I grab him by the scruff of his neck and hold him up to eye level, "How many times have I told you that you can't claw at people…"

_**Nyan…**_

"You can look at me with those sad little eyes all you want I'm not letting up…" I set him down and point to a open kennel, "Cage now…" understanding what I mean Rascal heads inside and lays down looking up at me. "Now don't come out until I tell you."

"Awesome Emmi; you can speak to cats!" Ed proclaims as he looks on in amazement.

"You idiot of course she can't actually talk to animals…" Eddy says flatly, "What's with you and the feline any way Sock head? Why does he seem to hate you so much?"

"I haven't the slightest idea as to why he always comes after me but I have to say…you've trained him pretty well Emmi."

"Yeah no kidding; it's like you have a puppy more than a cat."

"I think I prefer cats over dogs Eddy." I say.

"You're a cat too Emmi!"

"Come again?" I raise an eyebrow at Ed's statement.

"You're cool, you don't let things bother you or at least you try acting like it doesn't. you're like a real version of the cat lady!"

"The who now?" Eddy asks entertained by the conversation. Ed throws all his junk out of his back pack spreading it all over the floor as he searches for something.

"The Cat Lady!" he proclaims as he holds out a comic to us. there's a picture of a woman dressed in nothing but a black fur blanket on the front with eyes looking at us from the background. We only get a profile view of the womans face but she seems feline like in her beauty.

"Oh…one of your comic book characters…"

"Phahahahahahahahahahahah! Oh man that is too good; he thinks your hot Emmi! But you look nothing like her!" Eddy rolls on the floor laughing.

"…Rascal…" he jumps out of his cage and bites into Eddy's ankle.

Later we sit around and watch what we can on the television; they seem to not mind that we're watching an animal documentary and I'm completely absorbed by the show. As they show images of the amazon many creatures appear that I hadn't seen before. My mind began to paint various images that I could draw or create and I was soaking up the facts and information like a sponge. The black panthers seem to really catch my interest as I watch,

"Hey…any of you guys interested in the lame dance the schools throwing a couple of weeks from now?" Eddy suddenly brings up

"The spring dance…I dunno. May keeps asking me about it but I…I don't know about girls!" Ed hides himself under a pillow.

_3…2…1…_

"Hey Double D."

"What is it?"

"Aren't you going to ask your **girlfriend **out to the dance?" I can hear the snicker,

"Oh yeah that's right; you don't have to worry about girls Double D. you got Emmi…lucky."

"Excuse me?!"

_this is getting a bit awkward…_

"What's the problem you guys are dating right; this should be a simple date for you guys."

"We may be dating Eddy but still…I…why are you even bringing this up?!"

"Why are you so red all of a sudden; you two have been dating for a wile now. If anything I would think you two would have gone to the next level by now."

"Next level Eddy…what are you talking about?" Ed asks.

"I'm talking about Sex lumpy." There's a long silence that fills the room.

_The hell- Eddy! I swear…_

"Eddy th-that's not even- you can't just-"

"That has nothing to do with you…" I say covering for Double D as well as covering my face.

"Exactly! Why would you even-?!"

"Wow hey Lumpy even Emmi is red faced right now!"

"Yeah…she looks like a tomato…"

"Wait a minute you two this conversation has gone completely the wrong way! We shouldn't even be talking about this!"

Hang on a sec Sockhead you're just as red as she is. don't tell me you two haven't done it yet?"

"Done it…Eddy what's that mean?"

"It means have sex Lumpy…"

"alright one: Eddy Stop giving him a vocabulary lesson on such vulgar things and two: that's got nothing to do with you!"

"So you haven't yet huh? Wow I knew you two liked to take it slow but man I would think now you guys are just pushing it now."

"Will you drop it already Eddy?!" _alright…now they're just pushing it…_

"Unless you want me to get Rascal on you…all of you shut up." I say coldly and that makes everyone in the room go quiet, "Good…then we're in agreement…now watch the television or come up with a new subject…"

I flip the channel with my face still slightly flushed. Another set of hours pass by before it turns out to be pretty late. The guys finally decide it's time to leave; for some reason though Edd decides to stay for a bit longer.

"You Ok?" I ask as he stands

"Yeah…I just can't believe that Eddy brought that up."

"Are you still thinking about that?" I say uninterested but turn away so he can't see my face flushing.

"N-no I mean…that was just…"

"Uncomfortable…?"

"Yes!" he answers so quickly I slightly feel a bit hurt.

_does that mean he feels uncomfortable with me? _

"So…what was that a couple of weeks ago then…? You didn't seem uncomfortable with it then." I say.

"What?"

"Am I just like Marie…can you not see yourself doing it with me?" my voice is calm but my folded arms and slightly narrowed eyes let him know I'm not too happy. "If not…then…" I walk away into the kitchen unable to look him in the eye feeling as though I will cry.

"W-wait a minute! that's not what I meant when I said it was uncomfortable!" he grabs hold of my arm,

"Then what?"

"I was talking about Eddy overstepping his boundaries; he brought up something that had nothing to do with him. it should have been something that…you and I talk about ourselves…I mean…I didn't mean to go so far that time sure…"

"You didn't?"

"no but only because I didn't want to rush into things!"

_what?_

"I love you Emmi…but I didn't even ask you if you were ready for something like that…I'm not…wanting to hurt you or force you to do something you don't want to do."

"Edd…" his cheeks turn red before his whole face does. He pulls on his hat covering his eyes.

"This is mortifyingly embarrassing…!" looking at his reaction I feel relievedand can't help but laugh. "D-Don't laugh…! Why are you laughing?!"

"Sorry I guess I just feel relieved…" I smile at him. "Sorry I guess I let myself…get carried away."

"It's ok." Double D comes closer wrapping his arms around my waist, "So…are you ok with it?" our eyes lock and I can see the passion that was there before, "If you're not…then…" I reach up calmly and take off his sock cap. I can see his face more clearly and his hair seems to rest neatly despite the fact that he keeps it hidden under his hat. For a moment I only inspect before I curiously reach up and play with a bit of his silky hair. His hand gently caresses mine as he combs through it softly. Double D's face comes closer and closer until finally I can't stand how hesitant he's being; I pull on his collar and help him the rest of the way. Doing so gets a tiny squeak from him but he soon overcomes that surprise by tightening his arms around me. he deepens the kiss forcing his tongue into my mouth and I moan in his. His hand reaches under my shirt and traces up my back. My lips leave his as I gasp and instead his lips travel down my neck. While doing so he unexpectedly lifts me up and with a clang of some utensils places me on the kitchen counter. As we breathe heavily we pull away for a moment,

"Does that…answer your question…" I breathe.

"…yes." He kisses me again lifting my shirt up and is about to unclip my bra when he suddenly jerks away. "Ow!"

"Edd?!"

"Emmi he did it again…!" I look down and see Rascal clinging to his leg, "This cat hates me!"

_Damn it…he ruined the mood again…_

A little later Double D decides to head home,  
"Um…hey Emmi?" he calls me as I'm about to close the door. "Um…about the dance…do you… I mean…we don't have to but …"

"Are you trying to ask me to go with you?" his cheeks turn beet red again,

"Y-yes but I mean…y-you don't- um I mean…!"

"Sure…"

"huh?"

"just…don't expect me to wear a frilly dress or anything like you see Nazz wear or something…" he stares at me stunned for a moment before smiling.

"Sure." With that he runs off not even turning around to say goodbye.

"Well that put him in a good mood…" I close the door and stare at the kitten looking at me. I curl a finger at Rascal, "Come here…" obediently he comes over and I pick him up meeting him face to face, "You and I need to have a talk about you little thing with Double D…"

…

Art club has ended but I can't seem to pull myself away from the painting. Ever since I watch the program that had to do with the amazon I've been painting and sketching images of the exotic animals and scenery. Not only in my art but I find myself looking in the library and leaning different aspects and facts about the various creatures and vegetation I could. Rascal seems to be understanding me better than before especially since our little talk. I take a step back and look at the picture of a black jaguar on the hunt for a meal. I'm slightly surprised at myself for being able to paint something I'm so unfamiliar with.

"Hey Emmi!" Nazz clings to me as she catches my attention. "oh wow that looks great!" she says looking at my finished picture. "it looks like that cat will move at any moment."

"Thanks." She follows me as I go to place the painting on the drying rack. "So what's up?"

"I heard from a very reliable source that you and Double D are going to the dance this weekend."

"would this source happen to be from Eddy?"

"Yep."

"Remind me to gut him later…so you heard."

"Yeah Marie and I were planning on going to go dress shopping after school today want to come?"

"don't need to." I say looking her in the eye,

"Oh you got one already?"

"No I plan on wearing something similar that I wore to your party."

"What?!" I can't help but jolt slightly at her outburst.

"What?"

"Emmi you can't wear something like that to a school dance; especially when it's homecoming too! There's a certain dress code that you have to follow."

"…I didn't know…I haven't been to one before…" Nazz sighs deeply before grabbing my arm,

"well then looks like Marie and I will have to educate you on the proper way of dressing." I'm not left any room to argue as she pulls me along and I have no choice but to text Double D.

at the mall, Nazz doesn't seem to pick up on the awkward silence between Marie and me. although I'm not the one making it awkward she is. Nazz takes us to a section full of nothing but fancy dresses.

"Ok this one…this one oh and THIS ONE too!" Nazz starts taking dresses left and right and I try to look for something that would like. Marie remains quiet as she follow suit.

"I'm going to go try these on!" Nazz leaves us to head for a dressing room, "Emmi you pick a couple too you'll be next ok?" _and she's gone…which leaves me and miss_ _quiet over here…she was talking fine when she asked me to take care of Rascal…wonder what changed._

"So…any pointers on choosing a dress? I've…never had the displeasure of looking for one." I ask her

"no not really…" she walks off to look at a few others. _ok…not a good reaction but at least she said something…_ quietly I follow her looking at a few dresses along the way.

"You know…the cat you had me take care of…he um…he's doing really good…"

"Oh…really? That's good…" again she walks away not making eye contact with me. she seems to have a guilty or sad look on her face as she heads over to the dressing rooms; she's picked out a couple of dresses and I can only guess that she's trying to escape from me,

"Marie…" she picks up her pace and picks a room before entering "Marie!" she slams the door unintentionally in my face and I have no choice but to give up. "Can we talk please…?" I ask quietly.

"…"

"Alright…Marie what's the deal…? When you asked me to take care of Rascal-the kitten- you were talking to me as if nothing was even bothering you… you're at least talking to me but not much now…which makes me think you're mad about something…" I pause waiting for her to say something, "…but the look on your face earlier…makes me think it's something else. So what is it…did I do something or…?" another changing room door opens and Nazz comes out in a glitzy gown made of pink.

"What do you think?" she asks me as I stare at her dumbstruck.

"Ok…if that's a dress I have to wear then I'd rather go naked to this dance…"

"No of course not! There's other dresses that aren't as-"

"frilly. Dolly. …huge?" the skirt is so poofy I find it hard to see her walking in that dress.

"princess like. Is what I was going to say." Nazz says, "Well for me, what do you think?"

"Yeah for you it looks fine…" I say.

"Good!" and she goes back into the dressing room. _That was a bit of an odd interruption…_ I turn back to Marie's room.

"Marie…please…" long seconds pass by before she silently opens her door, half dressed in one of the dresses she picked out,

"I…um can you help me get the zipper?"

"Sure." she turns around and I help her get into the dress. After she goes to stand in front of the mirror and I wait for her to say something.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she finally asks me as she looks down, "I hurt Edd…and I got so scared that I even let you take part of the blame for breaking us up… you should hate me Emmi."

"wait…you let me take the blame for you guys breaking up?"

"I told Edd that you talked to me but he seemed to take it a step further thinking you forced me to make the choice…I had never seen him look so angry that I didn't even try to correct him or tell him not to blame you…"

"…I thought as much…"

"so you guessed it?"

"…yeah…I guessed it."

"Then why?!" she looks at me almost teary eyed, "Why are you acting as if it never happened? I not only hurt the both of you but I nearly destroyed your friendship too. You should hate me for everything I did!"

"but I don't-"

"you don't have to pretend Emmi…! I know I did something terrible you have every right to be angry with me."

"I'm not pretending."

"You don't have to try and be nice to me…so just stop it alright?"

_she's torturing herself over what happened…I can understand why. she didn't exactly go about it the right way but it wasn't even my business so why should I be angry about it with her._

"Your…not a bad girl Marie…" she looks up at me as I try to choose my words carefully, " I was…worried about what would happen yes…but it was your guys relationship…I was just a friend that found out from another friend what was going on behind the scenes…maybe I too could have done something different maybe even better than how I handled that situation…sure things got really messed up but…if there's one thing I've learned from being with the guys…not just Double D…it's that in life you can't really focus on the terrible things so much…or you'll miss the good that's there. sure you did something bad behind Double D's back and yes you hurt both of us…" hearing that she seems to want to cry; I place a gentle hand on her shoulder and smile as best I can at her, "but you're with someone you like right and same with me…there's no reason for me to really be angry with you… you made your choice and no one can really hold it against you but yourself…"

"But…"

"If you're that bent out of shape about it then you can make it up to me by forgetting your guilt."

"Forgetting my guilt?"

"if you keep letting it hang over you like this…it's going to stay awkward not only _between us but you and Edd too…do you really want things to be like that?" she_ shakes her head, "Well then forget and move on…besides I was never mad at you really so can you stop with the guilt trip already?"

"You…you're seriously not angry with me?"

"Last time I checked I wasn't…look everyone makes mistakes; no one is perfect just take me for example…I'm not even close to it…" I say calmly smiling slightly,

"Oaky! Now how about this one?" Nazz comes out again in a completely different frilly dress

"It looks good Nazz." _Finally Marie smiled…good now we can focus on this headache…_ "Don't you think so Emmi?"

"…I wouldn't be caught dead in it." _Do I really have to wear one of those?_ "Yeah…fine…"

"Oh Marie you look good in that!" Marie's wearing a very short navy blue dress. The skirts is rather flowy but it's definitely her style.

"You really think so?"

"Pfft yeah…Kevin won't be able to take his eyes off you." I say half jokingly.

"Thanks Emmi." She smiles at me more so to let me know she's fine now,

"No problem."

"So you named the cat Rascal?"

"Yeah."

"How come?"

"he's got a naughty streak…"

"Wait you got a cat Emmi?!"

"Actually Nazz she took in a kitten I found at home for me."

"Yeah he's fun to be around…until Double D comes by."

"Why's that?"

"He hates him…"

"What do you mean?" Nazz asks laughing.

"every time double D gets near me or tries to touch him…Rascal claws him…"

"Wait so how do you and Edd…you know?"

"We…haven't done it…" I say blushing slightly, "Rascal keeps interrupting one way or another…"

"Sounds to me like Double D has some feline competition at least it's a good form of protection!" Nazz laughs.

"Wait so Rascal stops him every time you guys get close to it?" Marie raises an eyebrow.

"Every time…although last time I had to have a little talk with Rascal…hopefully he understands this time…" I actually show emotion on my face, a rare thing as I crease my eyebrows in annoyance.

"Well why don't you go to his house next time? That way Rascal can't get to you guys." Nazz suggests.

"And give his parents a heart attack when they catch us…yeah think I'll pass on that train wreck…"

"So his parents are pretty strict?"

"Not really strict…more like…old fashioned…" I remember when I first visited, "But they're really nice. It's fun being around them…"

"Oh…do I hear wedding bells?" Nazz's comment makes me twitch,

"N-nazz c'mon don't bring up something that heavy." Marie says. I can't say anything as I suddenly imagine myself at that point with Edd.

"I-I'm going to go find some dresses!" I say racing out of the dressing area in a flushed panic.

…

_ok so I Zip this up…and there. _after many hours in a dressing room I finally picked a dress I wouldn't mind wearing for the night. A long silky black dress with a short train was what I went with. the halter top is dressed with fake crystals taking the place of a necklace as I dress my ears with long simple dangling crystal earrings. It's a bit daring since the dress is pretty low cut in the back. since I'm not able to do too much with my hair I use a pin with a row of crystals to decorate it. I hardly ever wear make-up and it took me a handful of times to get the eye shadow and deep red lipstick on I almost gave up on it. my chest tightens in nervousness as I look at myself in the mirror for the thousandth time.

"I feel so…not myself…"

_**Nyan Nyan! **_Rascal paws at my bare foot getting my attention

"What are you agreeing with me?"

_**Nyan Nyan!**_

"oh so you think I look good, is that it…I can't believe I'm talking to a cat…" Marie and I Agreed with Nazz to ride together to the dance. I have no idea what is going to await me at the dance and I have no idea what expect from Edd especially since we're meeting up at the dance. My doorbell rings and I pick up my high heels as and head out to the car. At the dance the music is really loud and I can even feel the vibrations in my chest.

_Ugh…I hate crowds…! They never said anything to me about that…_

The three of us stand on the sidelines as the rest of the student body dances to the loud music and the lights change color and spin all around; there's a fog machine too that goes off every so often. In the crowd I can see Ed running away from May as if he doesn't know what to do with a girl. A few moments later I see Eddy chasing after Lee shouting something at her angrily as she walks away with her arms folded. She suddenly turns around and lands a punch right on his face which only seems to piss him off even more. but she suddenly grabs hold of his collar and pulls him along outside.

"What was that about?" I ask Marie over the music,

"You didn't know? They're secretly dating!"

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah although Lee's been getting really pissed off about it lately. She doesn't like hiding things."

"Eddy might be embarrassed… he hates looking weak."

"Yo Marie!" Kevin walks over wearing a clean shirt with a black tie and nice black pants. _He cleans up pretty well…for a gorilla…_ he takes her hand smiling pulling her close and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "Sorry ladies but I'm taking my girl now." With that they walk away.

"You'd think he owned her…"

"Giggle! Yeah but at least the feeling is mutual!" Nazz says.

"Nazz!"

"Oh there's a few of my friends I'll see you later Emmi!" I can't stop her in time as I stand in place uncomfortably. It suddenly feels uncomfortably hot in the large room as I watch everyone enjoy themselves. "Ok Edd…where are you?" I ask the air around me nervously. Ten minutes pass by when I finally decide to head for the punch bowl when someone grabs hold of my arm gently. When I turn I see Double D slightly blushing. He's in a white tux, clean cut and sharp looking but he can never seem to get rid of his hat. "Really you can't let it go for one day?" I point up at the hat. He pulls on the hat keeping it from being stolen; I laugh slightly,

"Sorry I kept you waiting…"

"It's ok." he glances at me for a moment before looking away again, "What?"

"I don't know where to look…"

"Oh really…?"

"Yes…"

"Well how about you start with just my face and we can expand on it later…" he takes a peek before blushing again. "Relax would you? I'm not going to bite."

"I know that. So…what do you want to do first?"

"I don't know…I've never been to a dance before remember?" Double D takes my hand and pulls me along leading me to our first activity. First we wait in line to have out picture taken before a whole night of fun.

…

finally we finish dancing to a whole bunch of songs and Double D and I head out side to cool off. The fresh air is nice compared to the musky smell of sweat in the big room earlier.

"So all in all how's your first dance going Emmi?"

"It's nice…I mean I could do without the crowd but other than that it's been…fun." We took a picture together, danced, chatted everything you can think of when it comes to a dance.

"**And now it's time to find out who our Homecoming King and Queen are!"** I roll my eyes at the sound of the applause.

"I never understood the point of a king and queen."

"Yeah me neither but I guess everyone likes it." I walk over to a bench and take a seat taking off my heels for the moment and let off a sigh of relief. Double D comes and sits next to me and holds my hand. "You Ok?"

"Yeah…you know lately it's kind of been one new experience after another for me…"

"What do you mean?"

"First Marie gives me Rascal; then I met your parents…it was the first time I ever felt like I belonged to a family with how loving your family was…Nazz took me dress shopping…I never knew I would wind up in one of these things…it's been kind of crazy."

"Crazy?"

"Yeah...but in a good way." I lean my head against his shoulder. "You've given me a lot of firsts too…"

"I-I did?"

"I know it doesn't seem like it but yeah…first date, first kiss, first dance…"

"…were…were they good firsts…?"

"Yeah…" I close my eyes reveling in the happiness. We remain silent for a long time the only noise is the sound of the MC in the dance hall. Suddenly applause comes from the room again

"Sounds like they chose the king and queen." Edd says.

"Yeah…" a slow rhythmic melody starts to play in the distance. _All the songs up until this point were up beat and fast there weren't any slow songs… wonder what's going on._ Double D gently grabs hold of my hand and stands, "Double D?" he tugs slightly,

"Stand up…"

"Why?"

"Just stand up…" his smile invites me to do so and still bare footed I follow his direction and follow him into the soft damp grass. Still holing my hand he faces me and places the other one on my waist.

"What are we doing?" I ask curiously,

"Dancing."

"But we just finished dancing not too long ago."

"true but this is different…" he starts moving and I'm gently pulled along to follow. We move in sync with the music as we dance around slowly. the grass crunches under my feet quietly as we continue to spin around when the music swells he suddenly spins me around. When I face him again he releases my hand to pull me close to him and keep dancing. My heart pounds at our close proximity. "Emmi is this a good first too…?"

"yeah…it's a good first too." I cling to his back as I rest my head on his chest. It's quiet again as the music continues to play. "You know Eddy and Lee are actually dating."

"heh…why am I not surprised at that…"

"I think they came to the dance together."

"Uh-huh…"

"Ed was also being chased earlier by May."

"…right…"

"Kevin got on my nerves though when he came over and just up and took Marie; he was treating her like she was his property."

"…" his grip around me grows tighter slightly.

"Edd? Are you ok?"

"I really…don't know where to look." When I look up Double D's eyes are looked on to me passionately.

"What do you mean?"

"You never wear anything like that so…I just don't know where to look." _He's not making that much sense…_ "Uh…Emmi? If I said I wanted to go now…would you be ok with that?" his cheeks are red causing me to understand and my cheeks feel hot as well. All I'm able to do is nod.

…

when we enter my home I take off the heels again; no sooner had I done that does Double D hug me from behind.

"You're shaking…" I notice.

"I can't help it." he holds me tighter, "I'm really nervous." _What and I'm not?_

_**Nyan Nyan! **_

Double D twitches as he hears Rascal; the little kitten appears from behind the sofa. He seems to glare at Double D, making him cower behind me.

"Rascal we talked about this…"

_**Nyan Nyan!**_

"I told you he's my boyfriend I can see him when ever I want…right now I'm with him…you're going to have to wait your turn…"

_**Nyan…**_

Rascals ears go down in sadness, his eyes becoming bigger,

"Want some fish and milk?"

_**Nyan Nyan!**_ He races over jumping up on my leg as happy as can be,

"But you have to be good and get along with Double D got it?"

_**Nyan Nyan! **_He immediately runs over to Double D and starts bouncing on his leg.

"How did you do that!?" Double D asks me once we're in the guest room which used to be my mothers room. I took out everything that was hers she left behind and filled it with new decorations that were copies of famous artists and everything else. My bed would have been too small…for what we're about to do.

"I just talked to him and he seemed to understand." I answer him as I take of the hair clip and jewelry, "How can girls wear this stuff all the time…it feels heavy."

"I liked it." I smile slightly at his comment.

"Yeah…well don't get used to it."

"it was nice but…" he holds a hand out to me beckoning me over to the bed, "I still like you without all the make up."

"Hmpf…" I walk up to him getting as close as I can. Our lips nearly touch before I push him down onto it. I look down at him smiling, "Is that supposed to be a way of telling me that you like the real me?"

"…yes." He takes my arm and pulls me down gently and places himself over me and kisses me deeply. "Um…"

"What?"

"I…I have no idea what I'm doing." His cheeks are very red causing mine to turn red themselves,

"You think I know?"

"No that's not it it's just I mean…"

"Heh I'm sure it will come to us." I say smiling before I remember, "ah…! I finally think I know what it is I want to do after high school."

"That's good…but we can think about that later." His hands pin my arms down and kisses my neck. His lips move to my own before I start to lose my grip on reality.

…

sunlight peeks in through the window waking my from my sleep. When I open my eyes Double D's face is close to mine. it wakes a moment for me to remember what happened last night when I finally register why he's here. My heart slightly thumps as I remember. His arm his draped over me as I use his other one as a pillow. I try getting out of bed slowly but he stirs from his sleep.

"Hey…" I say smiling at him,

"Morning…" his eyes widen before his cheeks go red.

"What?"

"um…the covers are sliding off of you…"

"Hmm…so they are…but it's not like you haven't seen it now."

"Don't say it like that…!" he buries his head under the pillow."

"Shouldn't it be me who's embarrassed not the other way around." He peeks out slightly looking up at me,

"I don't do this sort of thing often Emmi…I never even did it with Marie." I didn't need to hear the last bit but it still relieved me.

"well you could have fooled me…" I sit up remembering what I wanted to tell him last night, "Hey…"

"Hm?"

"If I said that I did want to be an artist but one that focused on promoting endangered animal species or animals in general what would you think?" he looks at me quizzically his long hair slightly all over the place due to his bed head.

"I thought you didn't want to make art your main career?"

"I didn't but honestly I just didn't think I was a suitable job for life and it's probably not but I want to try it and I want to try it."

"Sounds like you've been thinking about it a lot."

"Yeah…I have. But I still need to look into it."

"I'm glad." He pulls me close and rests his head on my shoulder. "I can help you research later if you like."

"Later?" I ask and he suddenly pulls me back under the covers with him.

"I don't want to get up right now…" he says as he kisses my already well marked neck.

"that seems to be your favorite spot…mmm…I thought you were…embarrassed."

"I was but not any more…" his husky voice echoes in my ear. As he warms my body again I feel a sense of happiness and content as I glimpse at the fact that my life is starting to shape up nicely.

…

(15 years later)

my paint brush blends in the paint on the canvas as I finish the last touch on the painting.

"Emmi?" I hear Edd call out to me from a far. I stand and suddenly feel a bit light headed.

"In the studio!" I had reached my goal of becoming an artist painting pictures that would catch the eyes of people and get them interested in endangered species and what not. Along with that Double D accomplished his goal of finding a job as a therapist, a shrink is what people call them now a days. The past few days though I've been feeling a bit out of it but of course there's a reason for that. The smell of the wet paint starts to get to me and I step away from the drying image.

"You're painting again?" Double D asks me.

"Well, it's not going to finish itself."

"Emmi you really shouldn't be painting right now." His eyes widen, "are you not feeling well."

"just a bit of morning sickness…I'm fine."

"you should be resting; taking a break."

"And do what exactly? Sit on my behind waiting while my stomach gets fat and leave my husband to pay all the bills…yeah I don't think so."

"but the chemicals in the paint could-"

"I bought a paint that's less harsh and I've been working on sculptures more recently anyway I'm fine Edd quit worrying so much…" I smile gently.

"…" he pouts slightly.

"hahah…I hope for the kid's sake that it's a boy…"

"Huh why do you say that?" I wrap my arms around him neck as his go around my waist and smile at him,

"Because if it's a girl you won't get a good nights sleep ever again you worry wart…"


End file.
